Ephemerides of December 27: the Hotel Matane destroyed by flames in 1971
On December 27, 1971, fire completely destroyed the Hôtel Matane located on Saint-Jérôme Avenue, owned by Albert Gagnon. Losses amount to $70,000.
Fortunately, the fire did not cause any casualties among the approximately 10 customers. However, the smoke and the intensity of the flames bothered some firefighters.
The small Lapierre grocery-butcher and the Hector Rlchard clothing store, both adjoining the burnt-out hotel, suffered minor damage, such as sunken walls or broken windows.
According to the Chief of the Fire Department, J.-Auguste Laforest, it is the most violent that firefighters have had to fight in recent years.
The caretaker of the establishment, Omer Gagnon, alerted the firefighters after noticing around 2:30 a.m. smoke emerging from the cellar.
Helped by 20 volunteer firefighters, the 18 permanent firefighters "valiantly" fought the flames. Also, two municipal police officers, Benoît Harrisson and Yvon Berthelotte, stand out. For his part, a young man, Pierre Dion, saves the lives of three elderly clients and helps the firefighters “admirably”.
Other ephemerides
September 27, 1854, diploma of erection of the Brotherhood of the Scapular in the mission of Saint-Jérôme de Matane by Bishop Pierre-Flavien Turgeon.
On September 27, 1881, the commissioners decreed a tax of forty cents per hundred piastres on the entire school municipality of Sainte-Félicité.
On September 27, 1918, the provincial deputy for the county of Matane Donat Caron having died in September 1918, a by-election was held in the county of Matane. Octave Fortin (1876 to 1959), the Liberal candidate, won the election by beating Louis-Georges Dionne, from Matanese and notary in Amqui. The participation rate is 56.30%. Octave Fortin's mandate was short since in the general elections of June 1919, he did not present his candidacy.
On December 27, 1923, the Matane Chamber of Commerce asked the authorities of the Canada & Gulf Terminal Railway to remedy the complaints suffered by travelers, to modify the schedule by fixing the departure of the train at 6 p.m. p.m. instead of 2 p.m. and to take the means to bring it into the station at the designated time in order to give the traveling public all the time necessary to negotiate their business.
The Board of Trade supports the projects of the shipping company of Matane which are in line with the demands of the residents of the North Shore and recommends that the governments of Ottawa and Quebec grant their assistance both in contracts for the transport of trunks and goods than in subsidies.
From now on, the council will be composed of the president, the vice-president, the secretary, the treasurer and ten elected councilors instead of eight. The president and the vice-president who leave office will have the right to be part of the council. The Chamber accepts Léon Beauchemin and Léandre Thibault as members. Dr. JA Bergeron proposes that the secretary transmit to the newspapers the news that navigation is still open. F.-J. Pelletier seconded the idea of launching an advertising campaign for Matane.
Finally, the Chamber wishes that all parcels imported from foreign countries going through customs formalities be examined at Matane, which has suitable premises for this purpose and that its customs office be independent of Rimouski.
On December 27, 1926, Joseph Savard finished as postmaster of the L'Anse-à-la-Croix office. It had been since October 8, 1921. When it opened on March 1, 1914, this office was known as L'Anse-à-Savard.
On December 27, 1932, Lumina Pelletier-Gauthier became the postmistress of the Cap-à-la-Baleine office. It will be until March 29, 1939.
On December 27, 1936, Gertrude Roy was the acting postmistress of the Saint-Ulric office.
On December 27, 1941, Edith P. Desjardins began as postmistress of the Cherbourg office. It will remain so until January 18, 1944. Open: October 2, 1939, this office was first known as Schickshock.
On December 27, 1942, Bishop Georges Courchesne ratified the decision of the churchwardens to have heating and lighting installed in the religious buildings of Sainte-Félicité, including the presbytery.
On December 27, 1954, out of jealousy, 17-year-old Armand Saint-Pierre from Saint-Jean-de-Cherbourg allegedly strangled his 7-year-old brother Adrien Saint-Pierre in a barn.
On December 27, 1956, the parish priest of Rimouski Cathedral, Gérard Couturier, was appointed bishop of the Gulf of St. Lawrence by Pope Pius XII and renamed in 1986, in the diocese of Baie-Comeau.
On December 27, 1956, the City of Matane adopted the 1957 budget: $276,702; property assessment: $6,564,899; property tax: $1.50 per $100 property assessment. –Improvement of the outlet channel of Lac à Luc. – Extension of Côté and Dionne streets to Jacques-Cartier avenue.
On December 27, 1956, the Joseph-Antoine Santerre company was founded in Baie-des-Sables with his seven sons.
On December 27, 1956, visit to Matane by the Governor General of Canada, Vincent Massey: the first Canadian in this position.
On December 27, 1985, the newspaper “La Voix gaspésienne” published on its front page a photo of pupils of the primary school of Petit-Matane listening to the information given by Sister Geneva Goupil on the nativity scene built in the church. More than thirty volunteers took part in this achievement, which required hundreds of hours of work. They even used wood that was a hundred years old. The whole set measures 14 feet long by 9 feet wide. There is a waterfall there.
On December 27, 1986, at that time, the Continental department store and pharmacist Louis-Marie-Synnett's Uniprix pharmacy on Saint-Jérôme Avenue in Matane were very busy establishments.
On December 27, 1987, more than 200 people attended the presentation of some 75 certificates and coins bearing the image of the City of Matane during the last ceremony marking the festivities of its 50th anniversary. Almost all the members of the municipal councils who have succeeded one another are there.
On December 27, 1991, a liter of regular gasoline cost 60.9 cents in Matane.
On December 27, 1993, a heavy snowstorm closed Route 132 for 18 hours and forced a thousand motorists to take refuge in Trois-Pistoles.
On December 27, 2003, Marjolaine Guillemette and Jean-Paul Hudon from Les Méchins united their destinies. They do so in front of their five children from a first marriage, as well as about sixty guests, at the Matane town hall. They couldn't have asked for a better second marriage, this time civil with a religious part. The celebrant and municipal councilor Valmonde Ouellet formalizes their union after the traditional "Yes, I want it!" ". This is her fifth celebration since being empowered to do so under recent amendments to the Civil Code of Quebec. Father Jacques-Daniel Boucher of Les Méchins blesses the spouses and wedding rings. Raymond Tremblay of Matane and three of his children provide the musical part.
